Psychology

Renee McDonald

Professor and Associate Dean

Renee McDonald, professor of psychology, became Associate Dean for Research in SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences on June 1, 2011.

Dr. McDonald received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Houston in 1994. Her research has focused on understanding how children’s exposure to family conflict and violence contribute to child psychological maladjustment, and on developing interventions for children exposed to violence. In recent years, she has also developed and evaluated sexual assault prevention and teen dating violence prevention programs for use on high school and college campuses. Dr. McDonald’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Injury Prevention, and the Department of Justice, and she has consulted with state, national, and foreign governments on selection, implementation, and evaluation of programs to reduce relationship violence in families and in schools.

In her position as Associate Dean, Dr. McDonald is responsible for facilitating, supporting, and enhancing faculty research in the college’s humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics departments. Key areas of responsibility include development and implementation of policy and procedures in support of faculty research, oversight of the college’s internal grant program, and strategic planning for advancing the college’s research capabilities. Dr. McDonald came to Southern Methodist University as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology in 2003.

McDonald, R., Jouriles, E. N., Ramisetty-Mikler, S., Caetano, R., & Green, C. (2006). Estimating the number of American children living in partner-violent families. Journal of Family Psychology20, 137-142.